PHILADELPHIA – There have been times in the past seven games where new linemates have been trying to remember new tendencies instead of falling into old habits.

Sean Couturier and Matt Read have long been considered two-thirds of the Flyers’ shutdown line, their main goal to shut down the opponents’ first line. When they got a new linemate in Jake Voracek, who has been among the league’s leading scorers virtually all season, their roles changed a bit.

“You dump a puck or chip a puck,” Read said, “and you get back to the bench and he’s like, ‘Well why don’t you just hold on to it for a second and then let me get in a better position so if you do chip it or something, I can get it.’”

Read and Couturier are used to going against playmakers like Voracek, not with them. It’s been an adjustment for him, too. The Flyers’ leading scorer has gone from playing against lines like Couturier’s to playing against lines like the one he used to be on with Claude Giroux.

“When I’m on the top line, when I was with G, the hardest thing for us is not to have the puck,” Voracek said. “If the opposing team has the puck, that’s when you don’t create anything and you cannot do any offense. That’s what we try to do with Coots and Reader. We try to play with the puck and have the puck as much amount of time as we can because that’s what frustrates the other team.”

And it’s working, at least so far.

There are times — usually when the Flyers are trailing in the game — where coach Craig Berube will double-shift Voracek so that he can play with Giroux. For the most part, he’s kept the new-look second line together.

Entering Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, the trio had nine points in six games.

“I like what I see, to be honest with you,” Berube said. “I get Jake out there double-shifting here and there to get him away from different people and different situations. That’s why I do that. He’s got a lot of energy and he can handle the minutes.”

Berube had basically demanded more offense out of Read and Couturier while still asking them to start their shifts in the defensive zone roughly 57 percent of the time and play against the opponents’ top line.

“I think he just wants us to be more aggressive,” Read said. “Being kind of a defensive line, we tend to cheat offensively and I think he just wants us to be more aggressively forechecking and try to turn-over pucks in the offensive zone and play more offense.”

As long as that trio stays productive, Read and Couturier think they could keep on playing with one of the game’s top playmakers for a while.

“I think if we do well, he’ll keep him there,” Read said. “We had (Wayne Simmonds) on our line for four or five games and then (Berube) switched it up again. It doesn’t matter the line. Coots and I have to show up to play our best hockey. If it’s with Jake or Simmer or (R.J.) Umberger, it doesn’t matter. You have to show up and play your best game.”

Rinaldo returns

Zac Rinaldo returned to the lineup after sitting out the last two games as a healthy scratch. Vinny Lecavalier, now riding a career-high 21-game goalless drought, came back out of the lineup.

Berube said he wanted more physicality against the St. Louis Blues.

“Zac can add that element, bang bodies,” Berube said.

Empty netters

Defenseman Nick Grossmann did not play as he continues to recover from a head injury he suffered Feb. 28. … With the heavy snow, the crowd was lighter than usual. A little less than half the stands were full and were offered 50 percent off merchandise and free hot dogs, pretzels and soda refills. … The Flyers will meet the Blues again next week in St. Louis.

Reach Dave Isaac at disaac at disaac@courierpostonline.com. Follow him on Twitter @davegisaac.​